While it offers a strong portrayal of the gross hypocrisy of the (although never explicitly stated) presumably Democrat‑leaning American elite, embodied by Jessica Chastain’s character, Jennifer McCarthy, her wealthy family, and the foundation they chair, as well as the San Francisco ballet company and the colleagues encountered by immigrant Fernando Rodríguez (played by Isaac Hernández), the truth is that writer‑director Michel Franco never quite dares to fully explore the political and societal implications of his material. These could undoubtedly have been far more explosive than the superficially cheap continuum of sex and quarrels in which Chastain and Hernández find themselves entangled in their strange “love story”.

This lack of deep conflict between the characters, only hinted at in a few brief public disputes, ultimately leads to an unsatisfying ending in which a complete 180 is pulled, turning Fernando into a monster in order to generate empathy for Jennifer. The twist feels noticeably forced and impossible to buy into, given all the pain inflicted on Fernando, both within and beyond the filmed story, and the McCarthys’ ultimately mafioso‑like resolution. The imbalance in genuine affection between the two leads, on one side Jennifer’s unhealthy, controlling attachment, and on the other Fernando’s sincere love, tempered by a desire for independence and a life of his own, only reinforces the sense that his sudden burst of violence, once a key betrayal from Jennifer is revealed, is neither shocking nor unsurprising. If anything, it feels like the predictable (fictitious) reaction of someone who has been treated throughout the film like a pretty little bird trapped in a gilded cage.